Chapter 93 : Springfield (2)

“Greetings. My name is Dane Briar. It’s an honor to meet you.”

The hero spoke with a friendly smile toward Leopold.

“Oh, so you’re the famed hero I’ve heard so much about? They say your prowess is extraordinary.”

“You flatter me.”

“You’re modest. With your reputation spreading across the region, you’ve earned the right to boast.”

Leopold’s words made the hero laugh awkwardly, as if he didn’t fully agree with the sentiment.

“I’ve read in the letter about the circumstances of your visit. It’s because of the newly discovered orcs, isn’t it? My apologies for the trouble. The Emperor, that old man, tends to worry too much.”
 

Leopold clicked his tongue in mild annoyance before continuing.

“I’m sorry to have caused you to make such an unnecessary journey. But since you’re here, make yourself comfortable. Personally, I’d like it if you joined the hunting festival.”

“I’ll consider it.”

The hero’s response made Leopold nod slightly. Then, Leopold’s gaze shifted to someone beside the hero.

“Good. Now, the one next to you…”

“My name is Olivia Violet. It’s an honor to meet the ruler of the North.”

Olivia introduced herself gracefully, earning a welcoming expression from Leopold.

“Ah, so you’re the genius mage the Tower constantly brags about? A member of the Violet family, no less. Bloodlines certainly don’t lie—producing someone as gifted as you to match the reputation.”

“Thank you for your kind words,” Olivia replied in a composed voice, though her slightly flushed face betrayed her embarrassment.

“As a mage, there’s something I’d like to ask you. Since entering Springfield, you must have noticed its secret. What do you think?”

“…Frankly, I was astounded.”

“Hahaha! As you should be. I felt the same when I first saw it. Feel free to stay as long as you like, and if you wish, you’re welcome to study Springfield’s magic.”

Olivia’s surprised yet delighted expression drew laughter from Leopold, showing a rare display of emotion.

“Really? Thank you so much!”

Olivia responded enthusiastically, clearly thrilled by the offer.

While Olivia expressed her excitement, Leopold shifted his attention again.

“And the one next to her… you must be from the Lily family.”

“You know of me?”

Bliss asked, her face reflecting her surprise as she pointed to herself.

Leopold nodded slightly.

“Of course. There’s only one family in the Empire with emerald-green eyes. Your father is well-known—he controls much of the Western region’s food supply.”

Indeed, Bliss’s family was infamous not only for their fanaticism but also for their involvement in the food trade in the western regions near Valian’s territory.

It wasn’t surprising that the ruler of the North would know about them.

“There are rumors about the Lily family being overly devout to the Origin Church, but I think it’s a good thing. At least your father isn’t a half-hearted follower. Even so, as someone who doesn’t believe in gods, I can’t fully understand it.”

“Thank you for your words. My father will be pleased to hear them,” Bliss replied with a radiant smile, her pride evident in her expression.

“There’s a small church on Springfield’s outskirts. It was built by the Origin Church itself. If you need a place to pray, you can go there.”

“Thank you.”

Leopold then turned to Artorius.

“And you must be the Paladin, Artorius. How have you been?”

“Well, thank you.”

“There’s not much to say about you. Your reputation precedes you, and we’ve met before. But this must be your first time in Springfield. As I mentioned earlier, there’s a church on the outskirts if you need one.”

“Thank you for the information.”

Their conversation ended quickly, their familiarity evident.

Finally, Leopold’s cold gaze fell on me, and he let out a low hum.

“And next… hmm…”

As his eyes locked onto mine, I began carefully thinking about how to respond. 

First impressions are crucial, and I needed to focus.

But before I could greet him, an unexpected sensation struck me.

‘What?’

A suffocating pressure weighed down on my entire body.

I felt my brow furrow slightly.

The sudden situation was startling and perplexing. It was highly inappropriate to treat someone like this during a first meeting.

Though I had every reason to question his actions, I maintained a neutral expression to hide my surprise.

Subtly glancing around, I confirmed that no one else seemed to notice. Even Reina was happily munching on a snack, smiling obliviously.

‘So it’s directed only at me.’

Quickly assessing the situation, I concluded that Leopold was targeting me alone with this oppressive force.

His gaze remained fixed on me, his expression unchanged, but I could sense his curiosity, as though he were evaluating my reaction.

This pressure was deliberate.

I let out a quiet, humorless laugh.

‘Well, isn’t this interesting?’

The intensity of the force was remarkable—unexpectedly violent, given his composed demeanor.

It made one thing clear: he was strong. Strong enough that I felt confident he might match me.

If anyone else were in my place, they’d likely have fainted under the weight of this oppressive aura.

But fortunately, I’d experienced worse. It left me completely unscathed.

‘What should I do?’

I began pondering. 

I couldn’t understand why he was behaving this way toward me. 

After all, this was our first meeting, and there was no reason for him to act like this. 

He wasn’t treating anyone else this way either.

Why, then, was he targeting only me?

I thought about it for a moment but couldn’t come up with an answer. 

However, I did realize one thing.

He was testing me.

The realization made me chuckle quietly. 

Now, I had to decide how to respond.

The answer was obvious: an eye for an eye. I’d return his actions in kind.

I immediately activated my divine power, discreetly dispelling his oppressive aura.

I noticed Leopold’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. 

His reaction confirmed that he was aware of what I was doing. 

Seeing his momentary shock, I couldn’t help but feel the corners of my lips curl upward.

A few seconds later, I completely erased the pressure that had been bearing down on me.

Though I wanted to retaliate with my own pressure, I couldn’t. My divine power was too depleted for that. It was frustrating, but I had no choice.

Suppressing my disappointment, I dispelled the last remnants of his aura and smiled at Leopold, who still had his gaze fixed on me.

“Your greeting is rather… intense,” I said with a wry smile.

“My apologies,” he replied, gesturing toward me with a faint smile. “I didn’t know anything about you, so I had to test you. I truly am sorry for acting on my own accord. Now, may I formally ask for your name? Who are you?”

Placing a hand lightly on my chest, I answered, “I am Ruina.”

“That’s all?”

“I have no family name. However, I am humbly referred to as the Saintess of Prophecy by the Origin Church.”

At that, Leopold’s expression shifted, as though he had recalled something.

“Ah, so you’re the saintess who predicted the location of the Demon King’s castle. I’ve heard many rumors about you. They call you the White Angel, don’t they?”

“…Pardon?”

I couldn’t stop a dumbfounded noise from escaping my lips. My expression must have shown my disbelief as I asked him to clarify.

“Didn’t you know? It’s quite a famous rumor,” Leopold said nonchalantly.

What the hell?

“Could you tell me more about this rumor?”

“I don’t see why not,” he said, then began to explain.

The rumor went like this:

In a church in Slaine, there was a wise nun who could solve any problem. 

Her beauty was so extraordinary that she resembled an angel from the scriptures. 

The people there believed she was a white angel who descended from heaven and donned a nun’s robe to be closer to humanity.

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

Wow… What the hell.

I placed a hand on my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. 

My stomach churned, and dizziness began to set in. My face felt like it was on fire.

After regaining my composure with great effort, I asked in a trembling voice, “Is this rumor… well-known?”

“It’s a famous story. If it’s reached the North, it’s safe to say it’s spread throughout the Empire.”

Oh, dear god.

How did I end up being known like this? Who the hell spread such nonsense? I desperately wanted to know.

Between this and the chaos in Villon, it seemed something had gone terribly wrong somewhere. But I couldn’t pinpoint where.

Was coming here a mistake from the start?

Realizing this small truth drained me of all strength. Was this what people meant by feeling one’s spirit collapse?

“The rumors were so intriguing that I thought of visiting to see for myself someday. But it seems I’m fortunate—I don’t need to, as the subject of those rumors has come to me instead,” Leopold remarked, staring at my face for a moment.

“Hmm… I can see why such rumors would arise. If the fanatics of the Origin Church are so infatuated with angels, it’s no wonder they’d make such a mistake.”

Should I laugh or cry? Damn it.

“Thank you,” I said, forcing strength into my voice. Without it, I was sure my words would sound as lifeless as I felt.

In truth, I was mentally screaming, Why am I even alive?

Feelings I hadn’t experienced since losing my connection to my divine fragment resurfaced. A lost wisdom, returning at the worst possible moment.

“Well, I hope you’ll stay comfortably here. Oh, and if it’s alright, I’d like you to meet my daughters sometime. They’ve shown quite an interest in your rumors,” Leopold added before turning his gaze to Agnes.

“Now, the last one…”

His words abruptly stopped.

For some reason, he remained silent, simply staring at Agnes. She, too, met his gaze without saying a word.

The room fell into an unexpected silence.

After a moment, Leopold spoke again.
 

“Agnes…”

“It’s been a while, Leopold. How have you been?” Agnes replied with a smile, her tone casual, like speaking to an old friend.

Leopold chuckled faintly. “Well, as you’d expect. And you? Have you grown fond of your new home?”

“Yes, it’s better than I could have hoped for,” she answered with a satisfied smile.

“Is that so… then it’s fine. Welcome back, Agnes. Make yourself comfortable while you’re here.”

Agnes offered a faint smile and a small nod in response to Leopold’s words, and their conversation ended there.

Afterward, the topic shifted to discussions about the hero and other regions. However, before long, the conversation returned to the hunting festival.

“As I said earlier, I hope you’ll participate in the hunting festival. Your exploits are well-known even here, and competing against you would undoubtedly inspire the young talents of the North.”

“It would be an honor to participate, provided it wouldn’t be a burden on anyone,” the hero replied.

“Don’t worry about that. The North welcomes strength, and everyone will be pleased with your participation.”

The hero paused briefly as if considering it, then gave his answer.

“Then I will participate.”

Leopold smiled at this.

“Good. I’ll ensure that everyone knows you’ll be joining the festival. The hunting festival begins in a week, so prepare thoroughly by then.”

“Understood.”

A week… that’s plenty of time. It seemed that starting preparations today wouldn’t be too late. Agnes and Artorius’s suggestion to plan ahead was proving useful.

“Oh, by the way,” Leopold continued, “tonight, there will be a gathering for the nobles participating in the hunting festival. You’re welcome to attend if you wish. Since it’s an event where all the noble families of the North gather, it could be beneficial for you to be there.”

“Thank you for the invitation. I will make sure to attend,” the hero replied.

“Good, then let us adjourn.”

Leopold stood from his seat, and we all followed suit.

“I enjoyed our conversation.”

“As did I. I hope we can meet again,” Leopold replied, shaking the hero’s hand.

The rest of us gave slight bows in place of handshakes.

Afterward, the hero exited the reception room, followed by the rest of the group.

However, I had to stay behind because Reina refused to leave, whining that she wanted to eat more snacks while seated comfortably in her chair.

Fortunately, Agnes stayed with me, preventing the situation from becoming too awkward.

Reina only left her seat after I promised to buy her something even tastier later. 

As soon as she stood up, I hastily headed outside, feeling as though lingering any longer would lead to me dying of embarrassment.

Agnes followed closely behind me.

Just as I was about to leave the room with my face flushed in shame, Leopold called out to us.

“Agnes, aren’t you going to see Alice before you leave?”

At his words, Agnes stopped in her tracks but responded without turning around.

“There’s no reason to right now. I’ll see her eventually.”

“That’s true… I suppose.”

Leopold nodded slightly with his eyes closed, then spoke again in a soft voice.

“Agnes, Alice is still waiting for you.”

“Is that so…”

At that moment, I noticed something surprising.

Agnes’s expression changed slightly upon hearing Leopold’s words. The cheerful smile she had worn since entering the mansion shifted into a bittersweet one.

“Remember, you’re a special part of the North, Agnes. The Everglow family will always welcome you back.”

“I know that well,” she replied, glancing back at Leopold. “And I’ll never forget it.”

With that, Agnes left the room, and I quickly followed her.

Once we were outside, I asked her, “Do you know him well?”

“He’s one of my old ties,” Agnes replied with a faint, self-deprecating smile. After a moment of thought, she patted my back with a loud thump and exclaimed, “Don’t think too much about it. Let’s focus on preparing for the hunting festival. The gathering is tonight, so we have plenty of time to get ready.”

Her usual smile returned, though for some reason, it felt tinged with a hint of resignation.

We left the mansion and began preparing for the hunting festival.

Time flew by as we worked, and before I knew it, it was almost time for the gathering.

I decided to attend the gathering, thinking it would be a rare opportunity to meet many northern nobles. Networking now might prove helpful in the future.

Apparently, the rest of the hero’s party felt the same, as none of them opted out.

Thus, I joined the gathering, a decision I regretted just a few hours later.

Damn.

I barely restrained myself from cursing aloud.

Despite my attempts to remain unnoticed, I became the center of attention. 

The atmosphere around me grew noisy as people whispered among themselves.

I focused on their murmurs, catching snippets of words like “nun” and “saintess.”

It became clear that everyone’s eyes were on me.

I glanced around, confirming that the focus of their attention was none other than the spot where I stood.

I let out a hollow laugh. Somehow, I had unintentionally become the superstar of the gathering.

Looking skyward, I mouthed a silent curse.

Damn it.

It was truly a lamentable situation.